Chapter 42

[Five Years Later]

The morning light spilled softly through the wide kitchen window, warm golden beams painting gentle patterns across the counter. The air smelled faintly of toasted bread and strawberries from the jam jar I had just sealed. I pressed the last flap of Daisy’s lunch box down carefully, making sure it was snug, like sealing away a little piece of love for her to find later.

“Daisy!” I called out, my tone firmer this time, carrying just enough urgency to break through the quiet hum of the house. “Come out, baby. We need to go. Drop the iPad now—you can play again when you get home from school.”

The scrape of little feet on the hard marble floor answered me, and I set the lunch box down carefully on the counter. I glanced at the clock. Damn, I muttered inwardly. We were running late again. We were always running late. Some things never changed, no matter how much I tried to prepare the night before.

Life had been a wild ride, twisting and crashin